Just to spit names out there:Phil Jackson- may be retiring, but might be willing to take a gig anywhere for $12M per year to show up Buss.Doc Rivers- may be "taking a break". Not a likely candidate, but if that seat opens up, it impacts the coaching pool.

If Phil walks away from LA Lakers, Byron Scott could get the call- which he would jump on in a second. But, Brian Shaw has been an assistant for Lakers since 04-05 and wants the gig. It may serve the Lakers well to keep continuity and show loyalty after losing PJ. Shaw might have a real shot at taking Phil's over-sized orthopedic seat, which would free up Scott. If Scott swoops up Phil's chair, Shaw may cut out and head for a HC job with LA Clippers (or us?).

Either way, I don't think we'll see a hire until Phil's future is defined, which may come this week. After that, it'll be dominoes.

Please, please, please let's take Jackson completely off the radar. Jackson is now 65 and has won 11 titles. He's been to the Finals 13 times. He's the undisputed greatest coach in history by the measure of everyone outside of Boston. Even at this point, the most loyal of Red's Army would have to concede that this Jackson fellow is a pretty decent coach.

He stays with the Lakers, or he retires. Retiring is the only way he sticks it to Buss for lowballing him. Not trucking it across the country to set up shop in Cleveland or New Jersey or anywhere else.

He has nothing else to prove. Winning titles with LeBron probably doesn't really intrigue him at his advanced age. Either he hangs around to try and win additional rings with Kobe, or he goes to his ashram in Montana and lives out his days pondering the sound of one hand clapping. No other options exist.

Interested in this board's thoughts on Brian Shaw. His chances to get the Lakers gig or his fit on a LeBron/LeBronless Cavs team.

He does have 3 rings as a player and 2 more as a coach. He fits my mold of a former player with decent coaching tutelage (5 yrs. under PJ). I've got to assume Phil saw some smarts in him to let him ride. Wasn't much more than a role player in the NBA, did log 2500 playoff minutes. He does't scream "slam dunk hire," but he'd be worth an interview, IMO.

I can't see Brian Shaw being terribly interested in the Cavs post. Guy is an L.A. lifer at this point. He's been with the Lakers for more than a decade as a player and coach. He'll probably exhaust all possible avenues to stay in L.A. before he looks elsewhere.

Shaw is a rare example of an assistant coach who won't simply be lured by the prospect of being "the man" somewhere. He won't leave the Lakers just to take over some crappy rebuilding project in another town, simply because he gets the corner office.

That's what the Cavs have to offer: a crappy rebuilding project if LBJ leaves, and the prospect of dealing with a superstar who is quickly building a reputation as mercurial and hard to coach should LBJ stay. A superstar whose commitment to winning titles can now be questioned. A superstar who could pop you right out of the organization like the zit you are, if he really wanted to.

That's what we're not really adding into the equation here: coaching LeBron might not be as attractive to some coaches as we might want to believe. Especially now that LeBron has demonstrated that he will quit if the adversity gets thick enough. And, as Tom Izzo saw, he won't give you the time of day until he's good and ready.

Even if LBJ agreed to re-sign tomorrow, there might still be some challenges to finding a willing and able coach. Not as hard as it is now, but there would still be some major convincing for Gilbert to do. Starting with answering this question: "Given what has happened over the past six weeks, why do I want to coach LeBron?"

Cass, I think that last point you make affects Cleveland the most, unfortunately. Because, likely, no other team besides Cleveland has an owner so willing to spend. Which, IMO, means that the HC job is even less attractive. If LeBron decides he doesn't want someone here, Gilbert has the pocketbooks to make that happen. But, even besides that, do you really know what you're getting with LeBron now? I'm not saying the guy is going to implode or anything, but there are serious questions after games 5 & 6, not talking to Izzo, this overblown FA hype, and everything else that's gone down recently. I'm glad July is around the corner, but I guess we all know that for as much nonsense as we've seen in June, we ain't seen nothing yet. July is going to be retarded.

Opportunity + Ego = Willingness to Coach with or without LeBron. Let's face it, the established coaches or popular choices all come with questions too. Some have coached and been fired, some haven't had a #1 job.

But you can paint as grim a picture as you want to, with or without James and someone is taking that job. And if you believe they'd prefer it be without LBJ based on the last six weeks I think that might be paranoia talking.

That is really a question being posed? You guys honestly think any unemployed coach says, ya know....I like the offer and all, but that 23 sure seems moody so I will pass.

Finally officially wig flipped around these parts.

Exactly.

A coach can deal with the "problems" associated by having Lebron while winning, or can deal with the avalanche of problems in the midst of a 25 win season should Lebron not be around.

This is getting nuts. He is now apparently a malcontent that blows.

I never said that. All I said was that coaching LBJ is more complicated than some of us would rather admit. The guy is supremely moody, may be a difficult student at times, and apparently not above quitting. Which means he's not above getting his coach fired. And it might cause some coaching candidates to pause on the Cleveland job, even if LBJ agreed to come back. Particularly those who might be eyeing the Lakers job as Option 1, such as Scott and Shaw.

I've always liked Byron Scott. And Kelvin Sampson can coach. You look at what he did in his college stops, turning around Washington State and Oklahoma ... and then consider the fact he's coached under my two favorite NBA coaches (Pop and Skiles) ... and man, he's got some allure to me, even with the scary precedent of college coaches sucking in the NBA. He's the classic high risk/high reward selection. Could be one of the next greats. Could be a disaster.

Always liked Mark Jackson too. Little risky with no experience, but hes always struck me as a guy that would be a good NBA coach.

Would be satisfied with any one of those three guys.

"It's like dating a woman who hates you so much she will never break up with you, even if you burn down the house every single autumn." ~ Chuck Klosterman on Browns fans relationship with the Browns

papacass wrote:The guy is supremely moody, may be a difficult student at times, and apparently not above quitting.

You just described Kobe Bryant there, no? Moody, difficult student at times, quit against Phoenix in 2006?

Coaching superstars is always dicey. Yet there's not one coach alive who would choose not to have one of Kobe's, LBJ's or Dwyane Wade's ability if given the choice.

Right. Superstar is better than no superstar. Not disputing that. But if a coaching candidate thinks he has a better option, as all the candidates on the top of the Cavs' list certainly do at this point, they're going to see the potential pitfalls of coaching LeBron, and that might be a bit of a separator.

Right now, Kobe has five rings and Wade has one. They've set a precedent that they'll do what it takes to win a title with the right coaching and supporting cast. LBJ has two MVPs and two 60-win seasons in the past two years, and not even a Finals appearance to show for it. As of now, LBJ has, rightly or wrongly, questions surrounding his motivation.

Coaching LeBron is better than coaching 90 percent of the other teams out there. Unfortunately, if we're eyeing Scott, Shaw and Jackson, they might have better options available. Not saying Scott or Shaw might not ultimately take the Cavs job, but the questions surrounding LeBron might be enough to make this at least a short-term seperator against the Cavs.

If it makes me somewhere between overreactive and bonkers to bring this up, back up the paddy wagon, I guess. I think it's a worthwhile point to bring up.

papacass wrote:Please, please, please let's take Jackson completely off the radar. Jackson is now 65 and has won 11 titles. He's been to the Finals 13 times. He's the undisputed greatest coach in history by the measure of everyone outside of Boston. Even at this point, the most loyal of Red's Army would have to concede that this Jackson fellow is a pretty decent coach.

He stays with the Lakers, or he retires. Retiring is the only way he sticks it to Buss for lowballing him. Not trucking it across the country to set up shop in Cleveland or New Jersey or anywhere else.

He has nothing else to prove. Winning titles with LeBron probably doesn't really intrigue him at his advanced age. Either he hangs around to try and win additional rings with Kobe, or he goes to his ashram in Montana and lives out his days pondering the sound of one hand clapping. No other options exist.

SD:

Phil Jackson is no fool , the talk of retirement came up with the absurd notions by Buss about knifing Phils bankroll in half.

The Russian has no chance without the Nets acquiring Bron , Gilbert has no chance if Bron leaves , nor would there be a need to add a Jackson without a Lebron James.

But make no mistake about it .

Somebody wants to exceed that pay $12 million per with some amount no other coach in history has attained $12.5 - $15 million per, plus have the golden nugget under contract ala Lebron James, Phill Jackson will postpone that retirement talk.

With 11 rings from two different teams he's unique , if he were to add another with a third Franchise , he damn near achieves a deity status that may go unsurpassed for millenniums .

Two things to add:1.) At this point, given he's already talking of George Karl, I think Phil's retiring.2.) If he does retire, I think the Cavs get whoever doesn't take his seat: Either 63-121 or Shaw.

On the whole, I think I'd take Shaw first. The bad part is, the Lakers might do the same.

"The fucking Who...... If I want to watch old people run around ill go set fire to a nursing home." - CDT